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by InuChanFan
Summary: Just a quick little drabble about what happens between Margaret and John when they return to Milton after the series ends. Please read and relax.


**AN: Just a quick summation of what I think happened after the story ends with John and Margaret returning to Milton. I do not own North & South.**

The train ride back to Milton had been much faster than she remembered possible. Margaret was thrilled beyond words that John had kissed her at the station. And she was even more overjoyed that he had welcomed her into his car, and held her hand the whole way north.

But upon arrival, an uneasiness began to set in. She realized that she was an unmarried female travelling alone, with a man who she knew had romantic intentions. These things were never done, and it still felt a bit wrong. This feeling was only compounded when she reviewed the events from earlier that day.

She had kissed a man in public who was not her husband, nor a member of her family. And then she had boarded a train with him, for which she had no ticket, with the intention of going to his home with him.

Her actions would have been considered scandalous by London standards. Being in a small town in the north, it felt all the more worse. The local people would be unaccustomed to such brash behavior.

Margaret realized that she had been impetuous. She had not reflected upon her actions as she had been making them, and now she felt as though she had been acting like a fool.

Though she loved John, she had no confirmation that his feelings were still mutual. While she knew how he felt last fall, she had yet to fully explain his current opinion of her. There was no way of knowing if his feelings were the same as when he had proposed all those months ago.

During the whole time they had been reunited, all he said was that he was pleased that she was returning to Milton. This only made it harder to justify her current predicament.

When they arrived in Milton, Margaret had decided that it would be best she stay on her own for a while. Hopefully this time apart would give her some perspective and allow her a chance to form a plan. She stated that she would find an available room at a local inn, and that they would meet to discuss her business proposition tomorrow.

John's face scowled as she spoke, clearly indicating that he did not approve of this plan. He insisted that she take up residence at his home as a guest. He declared that since she now owned the mill, it only made sense for her to live nearby so that she may better run her business. He would have also mentioned that he could not stand to be apart from her for any longer than absolutely necessary, but he could not broach such a personal topic while still in public.

Margaret resisted, explaining that it would be inappropriate because she had no chaperone and that she did not wish to impose a scandal. He smiled at this. Of all the things in the world to be afraid of, she was worried about the opinions of strangers? Almost everyone in Milton who knew them were aware that they were fond of each other. John doubted that anyone in town would disapprove of their union.

But he could not tell Margaret this. She would most likely feel even more ashamed of her actions to hear that her desires were so plainly visible to everyone but her. Instead, he chose to offer her a room in the complete opposite side of the house. He detailed that she would not even need to see him if she chose.

She knew his plan was would be accepted by the majority of the townspeople who lived and worked nearby. But this did nothing to ease her worries. As he laid out his plan, his tone was too peculiar for this to simply be a business matter. There was kindness in them than she had anticipated. It was almost if he were smiling through his words. Margaret wondered why he appeared so chipper when she felt so awkward.

Regardless of her hesitations, she decided that he was correct. There were very few hotels in Milton, and none of them were near the mill. Staying at John's house would greatly reduce her expenses on this trip. Additionally, it would give her an opportunity to inspect the Mill once more, and see to it that it was properly reopened as soon as possible.

Getting situated was more difficult than hatching the plan had been. John's mother had not been considered, and she was less than thrilled about this plan. As a woman who always spoke her mind, she made it very clear of her feelings on the matter.

John thought the issue was on the living arrangements, but Margaret knew it was more than that. Her encounter with Mrs. Thornton earlier that day had not gone well, which was an unfortunate pattern for two women. They both wanted what was best for their families, particularly for John, but they had severely different opinions on how to reach these goals. It was often the thing they argued about most.

Mrs. Thornton's outburst became so harsh that John pulled her aside for a word in private. John's mother urged him against this impropriety. She did not want it to appear as though he was ruining his reputation so shortly after his business had finished its last shift. She urged John to send her home, but he would not have it.

Margaret heard him say, "I cannot be apart from her," and she knew all her doubts were unnecessary.

His mother responded by saying, "Then Ms. Hale should stay with Fanny until we can make proper arrangements." But again, John would not have it. He insisted that Margaret stay in the family home.

When his mother questioned him on his reasoning, he gave no clear answer. His mother, always seeming to know exactly where to hit, asked if this was because she had given him some false hope that she might marry him now. She insinuated that it would be out of pity, and that she did not truly care for him.

These accusations enraged Margaret, and had she been in the room, she would have defended herself. Fortunately, John did that for her. After some muffled shouting made its way through the wood work, Mrs. Thornton burst through the door and announced that she would be staying with Fanny, and that she would not return until some propriety made its way back into the house.

She abruptly left the room, and reappeared about 10 minutes later, bag in hand. John approached her at the front door, asking her to reconsider. Being set in her way, she decided to stick with her original plan, and left without another word.

The scene was something the young couple had hoped to avoid, but they knew it would Mrs. Thornton would return on her own accord. She was a stubborn woman, but she would come to her senses shortly.

In the meantime, the pair decided it was time to get settled. It was early evening, and neither had eaten anything since luncheon. They also needed to make sleeping arrangements before it got much later.

Because the finances of the estate had been largely tied to the Mill, the house had suffered greatly during the strikes. There was no one left to attend the cooking and cleaning.

John apologized for the state of his affairs, but Margaret told him not to worry. She was technically a high-standing lady, but she wasn't helpless like many of her counterparts. Margaret had learned a great deal about how to take care of a house from Dixon. She asked John to show her around, which he did, and she set to work as soon as she knew where everything was situated.

Margaret set about cooking dinner first as they were both quite hungry. She made a stew for him, as all the ingredients were readily available in the kitchen. John watched her as she worked. The two easily began a conversation about how things had been for each of them over the last few months.

"I have been attending various parties at the insistence of my aunt." Margaret said.

"You don't sound too thrilled about these parties."

"They were pleasant enough." Margaret said. "But they were not events I would have attended on my own accord. I would have much preferred entertaining my own hobbies instead."

"And what might those have been?"

"I have taken up reading my father's philosophy books. It only seemed right that they should be used despite his absence, so I have taken to reading them myself."

"And what have you learned from these great minds so far Miss Hale?"

"Not all that much I'm afraid. Most of the language is so dense I find it hard to concentrate long enough to understand the point of the passage. Most of the time I find myself more librarian then a philosopher, but it keeps me entertained when I am not attending to my family or other social responsibilities."

"I should have to teach you then as your father had one since trusted me on these matters."

"That would be lovely. But I think I should learn about the business first."

"Yes, that would probably be a good idea." There was a short pause before John begin to speak. To Margaret, it appeared as though he was thinking of the best way to phrase his life's story.

"Well Higgins approached me asking for work shortly before you left. I took him on, but I warned him that if he made one step out of line that he would be out of a job not a second later. He was quite receptive to this threat. I have never seen him work as hard as he did then when he first came back to the mill."

"I hope you weren't too hard on him."

"I treated him the same as everyone else, only expecting that he came in and did a good job. But you know Higgins; he isn't happy unless he is trying to improve something. It wasn't long before he started making suggestions on how to improve the mill."

"What kind if suggestions?"

"Higgins suggested that we set up a restaurant type room where some of the girls prepare lunch every day. I was skeptical of this at first, but most of the workers enjoyed the amenity."

"It's good for the workers to have a sturdy meal."

"Yes, I agree."

"So will you rehire Higgins when the mill opens again?"

"Yes. I think he will be one of the first workers to be rehired."

"That's wonderful."

"Well, I feel as though I owe the man. He was the one who..." John trailed off.

"He was the one who, what?"

John sat silent for a second. He had not prepared to speak so openly so soon after their reunion. He too was unsure of their current standing. All he knew was that he loved her, and her kissing him and joining him on the train had meant a great deal. He did not know if her feelings for him were as strong as his were for her, but he had come too far to stop now.

"Higgins was the one who convinced me to go to Halstead. Though he did not realize it himself, he told me things that gave me enough confidence to go look for you."

This made her nervous. Margaret had told Higgins' girls many private things, and she was unsure how much of them he had heard. "What did he say?" She asked as calmly as possible.

"He asked if you had gone to Spain to live with your brother after your father had passed. I did not know you had any other family, so I was rather surprised to hear otherwise."

"He is on the run from the Navy," Margaret said quickly, feeling as though she needed to explain herself.

"Yes. Higgins told me."

"You're not angry that I never told you?"

John took her hands in his and said, "No. I realize now that I was in no position to hear your secrets. I had not earned your trust, and what little I had I had ruined when you rejected my proposal."

Margaret cringed at the memory. "That day had certainly not gone well."

"And I am truly sorry for it. My reaction was unnecessary."

Margaret sat in a silent reflection. John was being much more honest and gentle than she remembered him.

They remained still for a moment before John kissed her hands, mirroring her actions from earlier that day, and then continued with his explanation. "When my proposal to you was turned down, I remember the last thing I said was that I understand you completely. After speaking with Higgins, I realized how little I actually knew of you. I decided to visit your family home in Halsted to try to gain some perspective.

"As I walked through your family's gardens, I realized had misjudged you. I knew that any malice I had held against you was simply a defense mechanism. I stopped in London on my way back to Milton to look for you, but you were not at home."

"You saw my aunt?" Margaret paled. She knew John was accustomed to prickly workers and business associates, but she wondered how well he would handle her high strung socialite of an aunt.

"No, she was not at home either. I was received by your cousin, I think. A blonde woman carrying a baby."

"Edith? Yes, she is my cousin."

"She was the one who instructed me that you had gone to Milton. I rushed to the train station as soon as possible, hoping that I could make it back home before you left. But I knew it was much more likely that I had missed you. Crossing paths had been a random act of fate."

"You seem to have been very lucky today then, Mr. Thornton."

"Indeed." With this he leaned in to kiss her. When he broke apart, he asked "do you still dislike me?" She shook her head.

"Do you love me?" He asked in a voice so quiet it seemed as though they were exchanging secrets.

"More than I can say," she replied.

He smiled and descended upon her once again. Melting into one another, they kissed until all thought of the meal they were preparing had been forgotten. They would eat when they tired of this, and they both doubted that it would be any time soon. They had each other, and that was what mattered. In his arms, she was home.

**AN: The End! I hope you liked it. Feel free to let me know your thoughts - reviews are always appreciated it. Just a slight warning - I may add a second chapter. I haven't decided yet!**


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